diff --git a/solr/CHANGES.txt b/solr/CHANGES.txt
index 180b94de809..6546f39882e 100644
--- a/solr/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/solr/CHANGES.txt
@@ -166,6 +166,9 @@ Bug Fixes
 
 * SOLR-14189: Switch from String.trim() to StringUtils.isBlank() in query parsers (Andy Webb via Uwe Schindler)
 
+* SOLR-13897: Fix unsafe publication of Terms object in ZkShardTerms that can cause visibility issues
+  and race conditions under contention. (shalin)
+
 Other Changes
 ---------------------
 
diff --git a/solr/core/src/java/org/apache/solr/cloud/ZkCollectionTerms.java b/solr/core/src/java/org/apache/solr/cloud/ZkCollectionTerms.java
index 629f2bcd13c..671bb469e6e 100644
--- a/solr/core/src/java/org/apache/solr/cloud/ZkCollectionTerms.java
+++ b/solr/core/src/java/org/apache/solr/cloud/ZkCollectionTerms.java
@@ -47,6 +47,12 @@ class ZkCollectionTerms implements AutoCloseable {
     }
   }
 
+  public void register(String shardId, String coreNodeName) {
+    synchronized (terms)  {
+      getShard(shardId).registerTerm(coreNodeName);
+    }
+  }
+
   public void remove(String shardId, CoreDescriptor coreDescriptor) {
     synchronized (terms) {
       if (getShard(shardId).removeTerm(coreDescriptor)) {
diff --git a/solr/core/src/java/org/apache/solr/cloud/ZkController.java b/solr/core/src/java/org/apache/solr/cloud/ZkController.java
index 9d7d9be6f73..6db0c5ae97d 100644
--- a/solr/core/src/java/org/apache/solr/cloud/ZkController.java
+++ b/solr/core/src/java/org/apache/solr/cloud/ZkController.java
@@ -1204,12 +1204,13 @@ public class ZkController implements Closeable {
         throw new SolrException(ErrorCode.SERVER_ERROR, "Error registering SolrCore, replica is removed from clusterstate");
       }
 
-      ZkShardTerms shardTerms = getShardTerms(collection, cloudDesc.getShardId());
 
       if (replica.getType() != Type.PULL) {
-        shardTerms.registerTerm(coreZkNodeName);
+        getCollectionTerms(collection).register(cloudDesc.getShardId(), coreZkNodeName);
       }
 
+      ZkShardTerms shardTerms = getShardTerms(collection, cloudDesc.getShardId());
+
       log.debug("Register replica - core:{} address:{} collection:{} shard:{}",
           coreName, baseUrl, collection, shardId);
 
diff --git a/solr/core/src/java/org/apache/solr/cloud/ZkShardTerms.java b/solr/core/src/java/org/apache/solr/cloud/ZkShardTerms.java
index 0cab1a8231f..de1667015d3 100644
--- a/solr/core/src/java/org/apache/solr/cloud/ZkShardTerms.java
+++ b/solr/core/src/java/org/apache/solr/cloud/ZkShardTerms.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeoutException;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference;
 
 import org.apache.solr.client.solrj.cloud.ShardTerms;
 import org.apache.solr.common.SolrException;
@@ -65,7 +66,6 @@ public class ZkShardTerms implements AutoCloseable{
 
   private static final Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(MethodHandles.lookup().lookupClass());
 
-  private final Object writingLock = new Object();
   private final String collection;
   private final String shard;
   private final String znodePath;
@@ -73,11 +73,24 @@ public class ZkShardTerms implements AutoCloseable{
   private final Set<CoreTermWatcher> listeners = new HashSet<>();
   private final AtomicBoolean isClosed = new AtomicBoolean(false);
 
-  private ShardTerms terms;
+  private AtomicReference<ShardTerms> terms = new AtomicReference<>();
 
-  // Listener of a core for shard's term change events
+  /**
+   * Listener of a core for shard's term change events
+   */
   interface CoreTermWatcher {
-    // return true if the listener wanna to be triggered in the next time
+    /**
+     * Invoked with a Terms instance after update. <p/>
+     * Concurrent invocations of this method is not allowed so at a given time only one thread
+     * will invoke this method.
+     * <p/>
+     * <b>Note</b> - there is no guarantee that the terms version will be strictly monotonic i.e.
+     * an invocation with a newer terms version <i>can</i> be followed by an invocation with an older
+     * terms version. Implementations are required to be resilient to out-of-order invocations.
+     *
+     * @param terms instance
+     * @return true if the listener wanna to be triggered in the next time
+     */
     boolean onTermChanged(ShardTerms terms);
   }
 
@@ -101,13 +114,13 @@ public class ZkShardTerms implements AutoCloseable{
     if (replicasNeedingRecovery.isEmpty()) return;
 
     ShardTerms newTerms;
-    while( (newTerms = terms.increaseTerms(leader, replicasNeedingRecovery)) != null) {
+    while( (newTerms = terms.get().increaseTerms(leader, replicasNeedingRecovery)) != null) {
       if (forceSaveTerms(newTerms)) return;
     }
   }
 
   public ShardTerms getShardTerms() {
-    return terms;
+    return terms.get();
   }
   /**
    * Can this replica become leader?
@@ -115,7 +128,7 @@ public class ZkShardTerms implements AutoCloseable{
    * @return true if this replica can become leader, false if otherwise
    */
   public boolean canBecomeLeader(String coreNodeName) {
-    return terms.canBecomeLeader(coreNodeName);
+    return terms.get().canBecomeLeader(coreNodeName);
   }
 
   /**
@@ -124,7 +137,7 @@ public class ZkShardTerms implements AutoCloseable{
    * @return true if this replica has term equals to leader's term, false if otherwise
    */
   public boolean skipSendingUpdatesTo(String coreNodeName) {
-    return !terms.haveHighestTermValue(coreNodeName);
+    return !terms.get().haveHighestTermValue(coreNodeName);
   }
 
   /**
@@ -133,7 +146,7 @@ public class ZkShardTerms implements AutoCloseable{
    * @return true if this replica registered its term, false if otherwise
    */
   public boolean registered(String coreNodeName) {
-    return terms.getTerm(coreNodeName) != null;
+    return terms.get().getTerm(coreNodeName) != null;
   }
 
   public void close() {
@@ -147,9 +160,7 @@ public class ZkShardTerms implements AutoCloseable{
 
   // package private for testing, only used by tests
   Map<String, Long> getTerms() {
-    synchronized (writingLock) {
-      return terms.getTerms();
-    }
+    return new HashMap<>(terms.get().getTerms());
   }
 
   /**
@@ -169,7 +180,7 @@ public class ZkShardTerms implements AutoCloseable{
     int numListeners;
     synchronized (listeners) {
       // solrcore already closed
-      listeners.removeIf(coreTermWatcher -> !coreTermWatcher.onTermChanged(terms));
+      listeners.removeIf(coreTermWatcher -> !coreTermWatcher.onTermChanged(terms.get()));
       numListeners = listeners.size();
     }
     return removeTerm(cd.getCloudDescriptor().getCoreNodeName()) || numListeners == 0;
@@ -179,7 +190,7 @@ public class ZkShardTerms implements AutoCloseable{
   // return true if this object should not be reused
   boolean removeTerm(String coreNodeName) {
     ShardTerms newTerms;
-    while ( (newTerms = terms.removeTerm(coreNodeName)) != null) {
+    while ( (newTerms = terms.get().removeTerm(coreNodeName)) != null) {
       try {
         if (saveTerms(newTerms)) return false;
       } catch (KeeperException.NoNodeException e) {
@@ -196,7 +207,7 @@ public class ZkShardTerms implements AutoCloseable{
    */
   void registerTerm(String coreNodeName) {
     ShardTerms newTerms;
-    while ( (newTerms = terms.registerTerm(coreNodeName)) != null) {
+    while ( (newTerms = terms.get().registerTerm(coreNodeName)) != null) {
       if (forceSaveTerms(newTerms)) break;
     }
   }
@@ -208,14 +219,14 @@ public class ZkShardTerms implements AutoCloseable{
    */
   public void setTermEqualsToLeader(String coreNodeName) {
     ShardTerms newTerms;
-    while ( (newTerms = terms.setTermEqualsToLeader(coreNodeName)) != null) {
+    while ( (newTerms = terms.get().setTermEqualsToLeader(coreNodeName)) != null) {
       if (forceSaveTerms(newTerms)) break;
     }
   }
 
   public void setTermToZero(String coreNodeName) {
     ShardTerms newTerms;
-    while ( (newTerms = terms.setTermToZero(coreNodeName)) != null) {
+    while ( (newTerms = terms.get().setTermToZero(coreNodeName)) != null) {
       if (forceSaveTerms(newTerms)) break;
     }
   }
@@ -225,7 +236,7 @@ public class ZkShardTerms implements AutoCloseable{
    */
   public void startRecovering(String coreNodeName) {
     ShardTerms newTerms;
-    while ( (newTerms = terms.startRecovering(coreNodeName)) != null) {
+    while ( (newTerms = terms.get().startRecovering(coreNodeName)) != null) {
       if (forceSaveTerms(newTerms)) break;
     }
   }
@@ -235,13 +246,13 @@ public class ZkShardTerms implements AutoCloseable{
    */
   public void doneRecovering(String coreNodeName) {
     ShardTerms newTerms;
-    while ( (newTerms = terms.doneRecovering(coreNodeName)) != null) {
+    while ( (newTerms = terms.get().doneRecovering(coreNodeName)) != null) {
       if (forceSaveTerms(newTerms)) break;
     }
   }
 
   public boolean isRecovering(String name) {
-    return terms.isRecovering(name);
+    return terms.get().isRecovering(name);
   }
 
   /**
@@ -250,17 +261,17 @@ public class ZkShardTerms implements AutoCloseable{
    */
   public void ensureHighestTermsAreNotZero() {
     ShardTerms newTerms;
-    while ( (newTerms = terms.ensureHighestTermsAreNotZero()) != null) {
+    while ( (newTerms = terms.get().ensureHighestTermsAreNotZero()) != null) {
       if (forceSaveTerms(newTerms)) break;
     }
   }
 
   public long getHighestTerm() {
-    return terms.getMaxTerm();
+    return terms.get().getMaxTerm();
   }
 
   public long getTerm(String coreNodeName) {
-    Long term = terms.getTerm(coreNodeName);
+    Long term = terms.get().getTerm(coreNodeName);
     return term == null? -1 : term;
   }
 
@@ -408,12 +419,18 @@ public class ZkShardTerms implements AutoCloseable{
    */
   private void setNewTerms(ShardTerms newTerms) {
     boolean isChanged = false;
-    synchronized (writingLock) {
-      if (terms == null || newTerms.getVersion() > terms.getVersion()) {
-        terms = newTerms;
-        isChanged = true;
+    for (;;)  {
+      ShardTerms terms = this.terms.get();
+      if (terms == null || newTerms.getVersion() > terms.getVersion())  {
+        if (this.terms.compareAndSet(terms, newTerms))  {
+          isChanged = true;
+          break;
+        }
+      } else  {
+        break;
       }
     }
+
     if (isChanged) onTermUpdates(newTerms);
   }